Hike of the Week 6/2/2006

Description:

This hike begins with a steady, steep climb of 1,000 feet of elevation in the first mile, and the overall elevation gain exceeds 2,000 feet. It is not an easy hike, but the spectacular views that it affords are ample reward for the strenuous ascents. Much of the land traversed by the hike has been protected through the efforts of Scenic Hudson, which preserves open space in the Hudson River valley.
        From a kiosk at the parking area, follow a gravel road gently uphill to the base of the Mount Beacon Incline Railway, where another kiosk relates the history of the railway, in operation from 1902 to 1975. Although it has been abandoned for over 30 years, much of the infrastructure remains.
        The red-blazed Casino Trail begins to the left of the kiosk, where a gravel path leads to a set of steps that parallel the abandoned railway. From the top of the steps, the Casino Trail follows a steep woods road to the summit. A sign gives the distance to the summit as 0.7 mile, but the climb will probably seem much longer.
        Soon, you’ll reach a trail junction. The yellow-blazed trail that continues ahead will be your return route, but you should turn sharply right to continue on the red-blazed trail. At the next junction, ya side trail ahead leads downhill to an overlook over the City of Beacon. You’ll get much better views from higher up on the mountain, so you might want to skip this viewpoint and turn sharply left, continuing on the red trail.
        About halfway up the mountain, the red-blazed trail turns right, leaving the woods road, then soon turns right ahead to rejoin the road and continue the steep climb. After traversing a badly eroded section of the road, the trail turns right onto a footpath as the road curves to the left. Follow the footpath, which leads west to an unobstructed viewpoint over the City of Beacon, the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and the Hudson River below.
        When the footpath ends at the woods road, turn right and climb the final pitch to reach the top of the old incline railway. The shell of the brick building housing the machinery that powered the railway still stands, and the remains of the machinery may be seen inside. But the real attraction is the view! To the north, you can see up the Hudson River as far as Poughkeepsie, where two bridges cross the river. The rugged Catskill Mountains may be seen to the northwest, with the long, level-topped Shawangunk ridge to the west.
        A concrete platform at the site of the former casino (just south of the brick building) affords even better views, especially to the south. To the south on the east side of the river is Breakneck Ridge, with Storm King Mountain on the opposite bank and Schunemunk Mountain beyond. You’ll want to spend some time here, resting from your arduous climb and taking in the view.
        When you’re ready to continue, proceed ahead on the red-blazed woods road, which is now nearly level. You’ll encounter several other woods roads along the way, so be sure to follow the red blazes. Soon, the trail begins a gradual climb, with one steep pitch. To the right, you’ll notice the fire tower atop South Beacon Mountain.
        After about three-quarters of a mile, you’ll reach a junction with the white-blazed Breakneck Ridge Trail. Turn right and follow the white trail uphill to the fire tower. The tower itself is closed to the public because it is unsafe to climb, but the 360E views from the base of the tower are spectacular. They are even broader than those from the site of the casino, and on a clear day, you can see as far as the Tappan Zee Bridge to the south!
        When you’re ready to continue, retrace your steps down to the junction with the red trail and turn right. In another quarter of a mile, the red-blazed Casino Trail ends at a junction with the yellow-blazed Wilkinson Memorial Trail. Turn left onto the yellow trail, which follows a footpath – a welcome change from the woods roads that you have followed almost continuously from the start of the hike.
        In the next mile and a half, you’ll climb over three minor summits. From two viewpoints on the east side of first summit, you can see two bits of the Hudson River to the south, with the Bear Mountain Bridge visible for the first time. The trail then heads west to a third viewpoint over the Beacon Reservoir, with the fire tower visible to the south. The third summit has an east-facing viewpoint, after which the trail drops to a narrow north-facing viewpoint, with a quarry prominent in the valley below.
        After regaining a little altitude, the yellow-blazed trail levels off, then turns sharply right and descends steadily through mountain laurel on a woods road. At the base of the descent, it passes a series of stone walls and reaches a T-intersection. Turn left here, leaving the Wilkinson Memorial Trail, and follow a blue-blazed trail. The blue trail soon bears right and ascends along a severely eroded woods road to reach the aptly-named “Dozer Junction,” after the rusting yellow bulldozer to the right.
        The blue-blazed trail ends here, and you should turn left onto the white-blazed Fishkill Ridge Trail, which climbs Lambs Hill. Just beyond the summit, the trail reaches an open area with spectacular views over the Hudson River valley. The fire tower you climbed earlier in the hike is visible to the south.
        After descending on a rocky, winding path through mountain laurel, the white trail climbs another rise, coming out on a ledge with another panoramic view over the Hudson River. The red-blazed Overlook Trail leaves to the right, but you should continue along the white-blazed Fishkill Ridge Trail, which bears left and descends. The magnificent views continue as you head down the mountain. Finally, the trail turns away from the river, briefly joins a gravel road to cross a stream, and descends through a hemlock grove to reach the scenic Dry Brook.
        The trail crosses the brook and turns right to parallel it, passing a waterfall along the way and crossing the brook twice more. Be alert for a double yellow blaze, which marks the start of a connecting trail that leads back to the start of the hike. Turn left onto this yellow-blazed trail, which first climbs a little, then descends. You’ll intersect several woods roads along the way, so make sure that you follow the yellow blazes. When the yellow-blazed trail ends at a junction with the red-blazed Casino Trail, bear right, follow the Casino Trail downhill to the base of the railway, then continue on the gravel road to the parking area where the hike began.

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